Improvement in folding opera-chairs



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T. M. POOTE. Folding Opera-Chair. No. 220,523. Patented Oct. i4, 1879.

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T. M. POOTE. Folding Opera-Chair.

No. 220,523. Patented Oct. 14, 1879.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS M. FOOTE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN FOLDING OPERA-CHAIRS.

Specification fonning part of Letters Patent No. 220,523, dated October 14, 1879; application filed May 6, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS M. FOOTE, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain Improvements in Folding Opera-Chairs, of which the following is a specification.

Ordinarily, in theaters, lecture-rooms, &o., the stationary seats are arranged in rows, to which access is had by means of aisles provided at intervals along the area of the flcor, this arrangement being considered necessary in order to secure due economy of space. The chairs or seats at the middle portion of each row are, however, difficult of access, and very frequently are reached only by subjecting persons to considerable discomfort and inconvenience in passing the occupants of the end This has led to a large demand at theatrical representation, concerts, lectures, 820., for seats in the aisle, colloquially so termed. It is, of course, impossible to supply this demand-with the usual seats, and from this much dissatisfaction results.

Folding seats have been devised to obviate these difficulties, but have been open to cortain objections, to avoid which is the object of my invention; and to this end my invention consists of a novel combination arid arrangement of parts, whereby is provided a double laterally-folding chair of simple and strong construction, and having its parts so placed and secured in relation with each other that the seats, when let down for use, have practically the same solidity of hearing as those of ordinary chairs, and when closed or folded occupy but a mere fraction of the floor-spice.

. Figure 1 is a front view, Fig. 2 a back view, and Fig. 3 a top view, of a folding seat embracing my said invention expanded or opened out for use. Fig. 4 is a front view, Fig. 5 a back view, and Fig. 6a side view, of the same in its folded or" closed condition.

A A are two seats, each hinged or pivoted at its inner edge to acentral standard, B, the hinges or pivotal fastenings a, by which this attachment of the two seats to said standard is made, being of any suitable kind. To the outer edge of each of the seats A A is attached, by a similar hinged or pivotal connection, b, a leg-standard, G. While the inner ends of the seats are supported by the standard A, their outer ends, when said seats are brought to a horizontal position, are supported by the legstandards O G.

Pivoted at or near the base of the standard B are two braces, D, extending, one to the foot of one of the standards 0 0, and the other to that of the other of said leg-standards, the outer end of each brace being pivoted to the foot of its adjacent leg-standard.

From the rear part of the central standard, B, extends upward a post, 0, and in like manner from the rear part of each leg-standard extends upward a post, d. To the post 0 are pivoted two laterally-extended bars, E E, the outer ends of which have pivotal connection with the posts das, for example, by a broadheaded pin or bolt, a, fixed in each post 0?, but passed through an oblong opening or slot of suitable length and width in the end of each bar E. When the seats A are horizontal the bars E form hacks for the same.

The standard B and leg-standards 0 may be provided with arms 6, and this should preferably be done.

When the seats are horizontal the braces D serve to hold the leg-standards rigidly in position to sustain the outer ends of the seats.

In order to fold the apparatus, it is only necessary to lift the two leg-standards to bring the same, together with the seats B B, into positions parallel with each other, close together, and in planes parallel with that of the central standard, B, so that when thus folded the entire apparatus occupies but a mere fraction of the horizontal area or floorspace occupied by it when opened or expanded for use.

In order that the seats A, when folded upward and inward, as hereinbefore described, may be prevented from falling down, a spring may be so arranged between the legstandard of each and the central standard as to tend to draw the said seats into the closed position described, the strength and tension of the springs being so adjusted, however, that when the seats A are brought down for use their weight and that of their attached parts shall be suffioient to overcome the springs, the contrary being the case when said seats are raised.

What I claim as my invention is- The laterally-folding double chair, composed of the pivoted seats A A, the central standard,

B, and its posts 0, the vertical leg-standards (J ranged for joint use and operation substan- G, having posts d d, and pivoted to the lateral tielly as and for the purpose herein set forth. outer ends of the seats A A, the bars E E,

and the pivoted braces D D, extended from at THOMAS FOOTF' or near the bottom of the central standard, B, Witnesses: to the vertical leg-standards C C at or near HENRY F, PARKER,

the lower extremities thereof, the whole ar- WILLIAM R. WHITNEY. 

